Vitamin E is a generic name for a family of four compounds (forms) of tocopherols and four compounds of tocotrienols. All eight compounds have a chromanol ring structure and a side chain. There are four tocopherol forms (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) with a fully saturated side chain; and four tocotrienol forms (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) having unsaturated side chains with double bonds at the 3′, 7′, and 11′ positions in the side chain. The four compounds of both tocopherols and tocotrienols differ from each other in the number and position of methyl groups in the aromatic chromanol ring. Alpha-isomers have all three methyl groups in the chromanol ring. Beta and gamma have tow methyl groups but at different positions in the aromatic chromanol ring. Delta has only one methyl group in the chromanol ring.
Recently, the term natural vitamin E has become synonymous with only alpha-tocopherol. The vitamin E compounds are light yellow oils at room temperature and are fairly stable to heat and acid and degrade with alkaline conditions, and when exposed to ultra violet light, and when exposed to the oxygen air.
Foods that are rich in vitamin E include dark green vegetables, eggs, fish, nuts, soy beans, vegetable oils, wheat germ, and whole-grain products. However, foods are commonly depleted of vitamin E due to processing, refining and storage. After absorption in the intestine, vitamin E is transported to the blood circulation by lipoproteins. As a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin E is amenable for entry and storage in cell membranes.
The health beneficial effects of vitamin E are, in part, due to their antioxidant property. Vitamin E is the primary defense against cell membrane and DNA damage and protects LDL and other lipid-rich tissues against oxidation. Vitamin E prevents the oxidation of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Tocotrienols, due to their unsaturated side chains, provide much stronger antioxidant effects and protect against oxidation of “bad” cholesterol, LDL, which, if oxidized, leads to buildup of plaques in arteries and increased risk of heart attack or stroke. The beneficial effects of tocotrienols also include cholesterol lowering, tumor suppressive effect, and inhibition of blood platelet aggregation.
Reactive oxygen species are of great interest in medicine because of the overwhelming evidence relating them to aging and various disease processes such as atherosclerosis, brain dysfunction, birth defects, cataracts, cancer, immune system decline, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. A complex antioxidant network, such as vitamin E, is effective to counteract reactive oxygen species that are detrimental to human life.
Research studies have indicated that major diseases that afflict humankind worldwide may be preventable by the intake of nutritional supplements, such as antioxidants. The term “antioxidant” nutritional agent has been applied to a number of specific nutrients; including vitamin E. Antioxidants use therefore has gained popularity to prevent disease and to promote health. These compounds are readily available, and non-toxic.
Antioxidants function by neutralizing the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable, highly reactive molecules that circulate in the bloodstream. Some of these free radicals result from lifestyle factors like environmental stress and strenuous exercise, as well as natural processes like aging. To become chemically stable, free radicals take electrons from other molecules in the body, a process that causes cell damage (oxidative damage). Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage by donating electrons to free radicals. As a fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin E is amenable for entry and storage in cell membranes to react with free-radical molecules and reduce the damage they cause.
The normal metabolic processes release some free radicals that might cause oxidative damage to our body, but our body repairs most of the oxidative damage caused by these free radicals. However, if we flood our bloodstream with an unusually large number of free radicals, typically by smoking or by eating a high-fat diet, over time, oxidative damage can overwhelm the body's repair mechanisms, setting us up for degenerative diseases. Antioxidants protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals.
Insufficient vitamin E results in free radical mediated lipid peroxidation of membranes and their destruction. Vitamin E protects the skeletal muscles, nervous system, and retina of the eye from oxidation. Vitamin E is essential for normal immune function. Vitamin E mitigates the prostaglandin driven severity of inflammation, PMS and circulatory disorders. Vitamin E may reduce the toxicity of metals and protect against free radical promoting environmental pollutants such as ozone, oxides of nitrogen, drugs, alcohol and smoking. Aging is essentially oxidative deterioration of tissues. Since vitamin E can prevent or slow down reactions of such oxidative damage, vitamin E may slow the aging process. The importance of antioxidants stems from the number of diseases where they play a preventive role, such as heart disease, cancer, and eye disease.
Epidemiological studies suggest that low blood levels of vitamin E are associated with increased risk of development of degenerative diseases including coronary heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and certain types of cancer. Two epidemiological studies of more than 12,000 adults conducted at Harvard University found a 40 percent decrease in heart disease risk in subjects taking at least 100 I.U. of vitamin E daily. However, people taking a higher dose of vitamin E supplements with only alpha-tocopherol may not be realizing full benefit. This is further substantiated by a recent study indicating that gamma-tocopherol traps mutagenic electrophiles such as nitric oxide and complements alpha tocopherol.
Oral doses of vitamin E ranging from 50 to 400 International Units (I.U.) per day did not show any adverse effects in double-blind clinical studies. The recommended daily amount (RDA) is 8 to 10 mg per day for healthy adults. In the U.S., 400 I.U. soft gelatin capsules are the most popular dosage from vitamin E. To achieve the potency of a 400 I.U. capsule, a person needs to consume 450 g of sunflower seeds, 2.2 kg of wheat germ or 1.9 liters of corn oil totaling 8,000 calories daily.
Fat soluble vitamins, like vitamin E, are found in foods associated with lipids and are absorbed from the intestine with dietary fats. Therefore, vitamin E intake is recommended with a meal and normally 20 to 40 percent of the ingested vitamin E is absorbed. Multiple doses instead of a single dose of vitamin E taken daily with a meal seem to indicate increased absorption and utility in the body. In fact, a combination of tocopherols, tocotrienols and phospholipids emulsifier have been shown to be effective carrier of molecules for improved absorption. In cardiovascular clinical studies, 50 mg/day vitamin E was used for a period ranging from 1 to 8.2 years without any adverse effects. Vitamin E is the least toxic among the fat soluble vitamins. No evidence of detrimental effects of vitamin E is observed even at daily doses of 100 to 500 mg. Human studies at daily 240 mg doses of tocotrienols for 18 to 24 months did not indicate any adverse effects. Further animal studies show safety of tocotrienols up to 12,000 mg/day.
Recent research studies have shown that a balanced intake of a full spectrum of vitamin E (gamma-, alpha-, beta- and delta-tocopherols) is the best way to overall health benefits. Research also showed tocotrienols from rice bran to be superior in reducing the atherosclerosis Lesion size in mice, thereby providing a unique approach to promoting cardiovascular health.
Gamma-tocopherol, the principle form of vitamin E in the diet, has been scientifically proven to enhance the health benefits of alpha-tocopherol, and is superior in promoting cardiovascular, brain, and immune health.
Gamma-tocopherol was also found to be superior to alpha-tocopherol in protecting cells against peroxynitrite, a harmful chemical that alters DNA and causes cancer. The study suggested that vitamin E supplement should contain at least 20% gamma-tocopherol.
A nested case-control study involving men who developed prostate cancer and matched control subjects showed that men with high blood levels of gamma tocopherol had a significant reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer. The study also found a significant protective association for high levels of selenium and alpha tocopherol only in men with high gamma-tocopherol concentration.
In a recent study, gamma-tocopherol and alpha-carotene were found to be significantly lower in plasma of coronary heart disease patients compared to healthy people, suggesting that the plasma level of gamma-tocopherol might represent a marker of atherosclerosis in humans.
In an in vivo study, gamma-tocopherol was found to enhance the bio-potency of alpha-tocopherol. Gamma-Tocopherol induced a marked increase in alpha-tocopherol concentrations in the serum and in nerve tissues, heart, liver, and muscle in rats fed diets containing both gamma-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol more than those fed a diet containing alpha-tocopherol alone.
In an animal study involving spontaneously hypertensive rats, gamma-Tocotrienol was also found to prevent development of increased blood pressure, to reduce lipid peroxidation in plasma and blood vessels, and to enhance total antioxidant status including superoxide dismutase activity. A recent study also showed that supplementation with 100 mg/day tocotrienol-rich fraction of rice bran for a month resulted in a significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides.
These studies demonstrated that a composition comprising a full spectrum of all forms of tocopherols and tocotrienols will provide greater health benefits of vitamin E than the only form alpha-tocopherol. New compositions of vitamin E comprising all forms of vitamin E were formulated to meet certain criteria: the desired 400 I.U., higher antioxidant potency than alpha-tocopherol, and comparable cost to the commercially marketed natural vitamin E.
Only recently have reliable analytical methods became available to quantitatively measure the total antioxidant capacities, such as oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, to evaluate the potency of antioxidant formulations. The ORAC method utilizes a peroxyl radical generator and beta-phycoerythrin protein as an indicator of oxidation by measuring the fluorescence of the protein. The ORAC values are expressed as micromoles of Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-one carboxylic acid) equivalents per liter of the sample and Trolox shows total inhibition of the peroxyl radical action.
The ORAC assay is a widely accepted method in the world for identifying the antioxidant potential in a sample. The samples can be a pure compound, blood plasma, various tissues and foods such as fruits, vegetables, or dietary supplements. The total antioxidant capacity is reflected from various antioxidants present in the sample and their interactions. The advantage of this assay is that it helps quantify the antioxidant potential value of a sample compared to other commercial samples.
Several other methods have been developed to measure the total antioxidant capacity of a sample. However, the peroxyl or hydroxyl radicals used in the ORAC assay as pro-oxidants make it different and unique from the other assays that involve oxidants that are not necessarily pro-oxidants. Further, substantial deficiencies of other methods have overcome in the ORAC assay. For example, the ORAC assay was compared to other assays and the ORAC assay seems to provide a better correlation to the antioxidant capacity. Therefore, the ORAC assay method provides a valuable tool with which a researcher can quickly determine the value of a particular antioxidant formulation, where increased potency and reduced cost are desired.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a soft gelatin capsule containing natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) blended with an additional vitamin E compounds, specifically natural mixed tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-) and tocotrienols (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-), to deliver a potent antioxidant vitamin E with superior oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value.
It is a further objective of the present invention to enhance the antioxidant capacity of natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) for the specific health benefit derived from supplementation with the novel formulation.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a more efficacious product to natural vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) product currently available for consumption.